Dr. King himself served as associate pastor of Ebenezer starting in 1960. Also, like his father, he served on the executive committee of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). Tragically, his work as a non-violent civil rights activist was cut short when he was assassinated on April 4, 1968, at a hotel in Memphis, Tenn. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan declared the third Monday of January each year Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday. This year, the observance takes place on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. Those are some of the basic MLK facts, but keep reading for more Martin Luther King Jr. trivia! These Dr. King facts for kids and adults educate us all as we celebrate and honor his lasting legacy. Related: 60 Famous Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes for MLK Day
Fascinating Martin Luther King Jr. Facts That You Probably Didn't Know
Monument of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington, D.C.Wilson Rodriguez/Canva
2. Dr. King's father traveled to Germany in 1929 and became inspired by Martin Luther, a Protestant Reformation leader. So much so that he changed both his first name and his five-year-old son's name, from Michael to Martin, also adding Luther as a middle name.
3. Dr. King graduated from high school at the age of 15. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College (like his grandfather and father). In 1951, he was awarded a Bachelor of Divinity from Pennsylvania's Crozer Theological Seminary. He received a Ph.D. from Boston University in 1955.
Related: 125 Inspiring Mahatma Gandhi Quotes That'll Change Your Life
6. Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi were influenced by Henry David Thoreau, a 19th-century American essayist and philosopher who wrote about his philosophy of civil disobedience in a popular essay, "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience."
8. The Kings had four children: Yolanda, Martin Luther King III, Dexter and Bernice.
Related: Learn About Civil Rights Activist Coretta Scott King, Including How She Met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
11. Upon his death, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s remains were carried in a farm wagon drawn by mules to Southview Cemetery—the oldest African-American cemetery in Atlanta, Ga. In 1970, Dr. King's remains were removed from Southview Cemetery, and placed in a family crypt, faced with Georgia marble, at the King Center.
13. Beginning in 2001, Ebenezer Baptist Church's sanctuary and fellowship hall were restored to their style from the 1960s period.
15.Six years before his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington, Dr. King gave another speech at the Lincoln Memorial. He joined other civil rights leaders at the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom on May 17, 1957, and spoke then.
16. Dr. King was arrested at least 30 times—mostly for his involvement with various civil rights actions. For example, he was arrested and jailed on July 27, 1962, for holding a prayer vigil in Albany, Ga.
18. The original recipients of this Birmingham jail letter were eight white Alabama clergymen who had "A Call for Unity," a statement made against Dr. King and his methods, smuggled into the jail.
20. Magazines such as Christian Century, Christian and Crisis, the New York Post, and Ebony, published the "Letter from Birmingham" in articles as well.
22. Finally, in 1964, Dr. King revised the letter, and it became a chapter in his memoir, Why We Can't Wait, written about the Birmingham events.
24. On Aug. 28, 1963, before more than 250,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., King gave perhaps his most famous speech, "I Have A Dream." Each speaker was allotted 15 minutes, but King's landmark statement on civil rights in America emerged as timeless.
26. In 1964, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for his non-violent struggle for civil rights for the Afro-American population." At the age of 35, he was, at the time, the youngest man to ever receive this honor.
28. King first appeared on the cover of Time on Feb. 18, 1957, for his role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Since then, he has been on the cover at least 20 times.
Related: 35 of Coretta Scott King's Most Inspiring Quotes
31.In April 1968, Dr. King was in Memphis, Tenn., showing support for the city's sanitation strike. The night before he died, he delivered the following words in his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech at Mason Temple Church: “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now … I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. And I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."
33. Biographer Taylor Branchsaid that King's autopsy showed he had the heart of a 60-year-old, despite being 39 when he died. Branch believed this was due to stress, saying, "The Movement took a huge toll on him ... The Movement was his life."
35. While they don't have nationally recognized holidays, several countries around the world acknowledge the day or Dr. King himself with ceremonies and other commemorations, including Canada, Israel, Japan and The Netherlands.
Related: Who Are Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King's Kids? All About the Racial Justice Activists' Family
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